NOT GIVING UP ON FOREVER

Chapter 19

Anna's days have become like a fairy tale. She forgot about all the attainments of civilization—her phone went off on arrival in the mountains. The hut in which the company settled became her home for the next few days. A hot kettle, heated on the fire, was her shower, and fruits and vegetables, herbs, and spices were her favorite meals throughout the entire trip.

In Randall's presence, she recalled Mark much less often. It felt wrong to think of him. He surrounded her with such care that it was merely inappropriate to think of anyone else.

Altogether, they went swimming in the waterfall. Anna even grew fond of Bernardo as she was learning more about him. It turned out that he was just an excellent cook. Every morning and evening, he cut, cooked, boiled, fried on the fire different goodies, and after he learned what vegetarianism was, he took this point into account in the menu with respect.

Anna still wanted to get private with Randall. Every time the situation became romantic, Bernardo seemed to smell it and appeared between them with an innocent face. For him, the idea that young people would like to be alone did not even exist in the galaxy.

And now, when Anna lost her mind and attacked Randall with a kiss, Bernardo cheerfully shouted behind:

"Some tea, guys!"

Randall barely separated from Anna's lips. His head swirled with such a sudden rush of passion, and he pulled her back to him. His plump lips were biting hers, and she passionately wrapped her hands around his neck, afraid to let go of the moment. Both were breathing heavily.

"Tea! Where you guys at?" Bernardo crawled along the cliff to the waterfall where the couple was.

They have disunited the bonds from the unexpected proximity of his voice.

"Come on, Bernie!" Randall swore, slamming his fists into the water. "Tea your grandmother, what do you want!"

"Some tea, guys!" Bernardo had not even heard of all this audacity in his address and finally got to them near. "I scream and scream! Are you deaf or wha'? What are you doin' here? Come, sister! Randy, some tea, go, Randy!"

'Sister' was how Bernardo addressed Anna after she cured him of stomach pain one day, and it touched him dearly. She called him 'brother,' and both enjoyed the new status of a 'family union.'

Only now, Anna wanted to hit 'brother' in the face with a shovel for him, not seeing the bait that his company was superfluous.

"Some tea, right!" Randall kept getting out of the water.

Seeing how his 'intimate part' got hard after a kiss in the water, he abruptly covered himself with a towel. Anna giggled.

"Sorry about the kiss. I couldn't help myself." She looked down jokingly.

"I'll think about it!" he grimaced, trying to walk so that his reaction from below was invisible to others in the valley. And there were many tourists. Very many.

Randall rolled his eyes.

"Where's your tea, brother?" he clowned about.

"I'm not your brother," Bernardo replied, walking behind him. "I'm Anna's brother."

"Where's your vaunted tea? My throat's dry."

"From what?"

"I was singing!"

"What song?"

"The berries song, Bernie. About berries."

Anna burst out laughing.

"I don't know that song," she framed the guy.

"I don't know either," Bernardo confessed. "Sing it again!"

Randall coughed.

"Where the tea at? Don't torture my throat."

"Ta-da!" Bernardo was proud of himself. He pointed to a luxuriously covered tablecloth on the ground as they reached the top of the hill he led to. The company craving hot tea, honey, freshly baked cakes, and fruits, neatly cut into slices.

"Delight!" Anna was in raptures.

"Almost. Been. Recently," Randall muttered through his teeth and smiled. "And now the song about berries!"

And he sang some clumsy nonsense, in which every two seconds sounded Berry, Berry. Everyone laughed.